Last weekend, the organization announced plans to disrupt the marathon, which starts in Minneapolis and finishes in St. Paul.
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The mayor told WCCO-AM the city will provide space near the finish line of the 26.2-mile race for however many protesters choose to attend.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and leaders of the St. Paul Black Lives Matter chapter came to an agreement over activities for Sunday’s Twin Cities Marathon Thursday.
“Clearly, the community has expressed concern we’re not where we need to be”, Coleman said.
“The Mayor took the time to listen, he heard our concerns”, Turner shared.
Turner had said the group would protest in a park a couple blocks away from several access points in the marathon’s final mile, and that runners would be prevented from finishing the race.
The mayor said the meeting was precipitated by BLM St. Paul’s planned protest at the popular marathon, the latest in a series of the group’s public marches and demonstrations.
“Not once … has this event been disrupted by unlawful behavior, and we’re not going to let that occur now”, he said.
Coleman said he achieved his twin goals Thursday of furthering a dialogue about disparities between white communities and communities of color, and making sure the 11,000 racers expected to run Sunday are safe.
Khaliq, a former St. Paul firefighter who served briefly as an interim city council member, said the University of Minnesota is conducting an audit of the city’s police-civilian review board.
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“There’s a few structural and systemic issues”, said Khaliq, who helped launch the board 20 years ago. Before Turner’s announcement that runners will not be prevented from finishing, St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith warned prospective protestors that interfering with runners would result in arrest.
